Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Scream and Scream Again (1970)

How badly do the makers of
Scream and Scream Again contort
themselves while trying to generate pulpy thrills? Consider this line, spoken
by policeman Detective Sergeant Believer (Alfred Marks): “Well, either this is
coincidence—some kinky freak burglary turned tragic—or we’ve got more than one
supernormal maniac on our hands.” Like that cumbersome dialogue, Scream and Scream Again contains too
many elements for its own good. Although the picture features iconic horror
stars Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and Vincent Price, it’s not a
straight horror film. Rather, it’s more of a Twilight Zone-style head trip involving experimental surgery, a
fictional Eastern European nation run by a Third Reich-esque government,
quasi-invulnerable killers, and, to make sure Price has something to do, a mad
scientist. There’s also a musical number.

Made in Britain, with Price the only
American star in the cast, the picture is confusing and jumbled. For the first
30 minutes or so, director Gordon Hessler bounces around between espionage-type
scenes involving mysterious characters played by Lee and Marshall Jones,
investigative bits featuring Marks and Price, and nightclub scenes during which
arrogant young stud Keith (Michael Gothard) picks up ladies. Somewhere in the
bewildering mix is Cushing’s brief appearance, which includes little more than
one scene. Then, in the middle of the movie—once audiences and authorities have
figured out that Keith is a serial killer—Scream
and Scream Again stops dead for an interminable chase scene while cops
pursue Keith through city streets, country roads, a quarry, and finally a
secret laboratory. After the epic chase scene, the movie shifts into biological-horror
mode, with lots of gruesome scenes during which unethical doctors and nurses
steal body parts from victims. And finally, Scream
and Scream Again reaches a long operating-theater scene dominated by
Price’s character delivering a trite monologue about his grand
scheme for genetic engineering.

The overarching story of Scream and Scream Again, which was based on a novel by Peter Saxon,
makes sense in a comic-book sort of way, but the Grand Guignol Lite conclusion
raises as many questions as it answers. It’s hard to imagine whom this movie
might satisfy, since horror fans will be disappointed that Cushing appears
briefly, Lee plays a non-monstrous role, and Price delivers a terrible
performance owing to the script’s overripe treatment of his character.
Similarly, fans of conspiracy and/or sci-fi movies will probably find the chase
scene painfully boring and the horror aspects silly. On the plus side, the title song—yes, there’s a title song—is actually a pretty happening ’60s
blues-rock number, performed onscreen by the real-life Welsh band Amen Corner.